With the stated goal of reclaiming the issue of faith from the Christian right, a new political organization for religious progressives launched Wednesday, joining a small number of liberal, religious-oriented groups and think tanks that sprang up around the faith-infused 2004 election.

Unlike many of those groups, however, the new Christian Alliance for Progress describes itself as a grass-roots organization with plans for a national membership, and it is based in Jacksonville, Fla., rather than New York or Washington, D.C.

According to its statement of purpose, “The Christian Alliance for Progress, founded firmly on the teachings of the Gospel, will stand for pursuing economic justice; responsible environmental stewardship; equality for gays and lesbians; honoring the sanctity of childbearing decisions through effective prevention, not criminalization of abortion; seeking peace, not war; and achieving health care for all Americans.”